LIGHTS - Reasons for going big.

[Medical Marijuana]

LIGHTS - Reasons for going big.
I have seen a lot of questions on this site like: Can I use Halogen lights, Mercury Vapor or flood lights. Here is why serious growers use either or both HPS & MH lights or even Flouros over the others above.
Comparison by Lumens.
1). M.V. 175watt 8000 lumens
2). M.H. 400watt 55000 lumens
3). H.P.S. 400watt 55000 lumens
These are the highest rated bulbs in thier range of wattage. So, you could have 3 of the 175w Mercury Vapor bulbs and still only be at a total of 24000 lumens - still only half of what the MH & HPS lights put out. The MH light has a better color range for use during vegetation and the HPS during flowering. But some growers just use HPS throughout the grow.
LIGHT RATINGS.
CCT = Correlated Color Temp. - The basic elements of a light are heated
and start to glow and reach a peak & holds. This is the CCT rating of the light measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Although the CCT will give you an idea of the bulbs color rating, it is unable to tell how well each color band is represented without the laboratory guys doing the bulbs Color Rendering Index (CRI). The growing community believes that the higher
the CRI rating of the bulb, the better the color distribution is.
The following chart will show you the color ranges of artificial light and the effect it has on growing Cannabis. Keep in mind that natural sunlight measures about 5500k most of the daylight hours.

[/b]CCT Rating in Kelvin Light Color Effects
5000-8000 Deep Blue Excellent for leaf & stem growth
4001-5000 Light Blue Good leaf & stem growth
4000 Nuetral White Promotes Normal growth
3700-4000 Warm Nuetral Promotes rapid growth
3000-3700 Warmer Yellw Nuetrl All stages of growth, promotes
photosynthesis activity.
1500-3000 Hot orange or red Promotes flowering.
Photosynthesis: " Combining with Light " The plants ability to use light and nutrients to synthesize complex foods for themselves from simple substances. This is the heart & soul of your Cannabis Plant. Plants naturally produce Chlorophyll and gives it the green color we so love.
So, not enough light and/or nutrients then chlorophyll will not be produced
by the plant and photosythesis will stop.

Some of the Best Rated Bulbs
BRAND MODEL BULB TYPE WATTS LUMENS
Hortilux Super TM EN HPS 1000 145,000
GE Lucolux Standard HPS 1000 140,000
Sunmaster Warm Deluxe MH 1100 133,000
Hortilux Super TM EN HPS 400 55,000
Sunmaster Warm Deluxe MH 400 40,000

Sunmaster Cool Deluxe MH 400 32,500
Hortilux Super Deluxe HPS 250 32,000
Sunmaster Natural Deluxe MH 250 23,000

Notice the 400watt bulb listed above. The Best 250watt bulb has the same Lumens as it does. I showed this to bring something to your attention. And that is that if you shop smart, you can find a good 250w bulb that performs as well as a 400w would. The major difference is that the larger wattage bulb has a higher PAR rating.
PAR = Photosynthetically Active Radiation - Good for photosynthesis.
The 400w has a PAR rating of 138 while the 250w has only 77. Of course
the lower wattage bulb should use less power so keep this in mind when planning your budget.
How Many Lumens Do I need for my plants
1). How much is in your budget ?
2). How many plants do you want to grow ?
3). What size area do you have to convert into a grow room ?
Never use less then 2000-2500 lumens per plant. Ex: One grow light that puts out 45,000 lumens would be sufficient for a grow space that is 3ft X 3ft X 4ft high. How many plants can U get in this area? Well, one thing it depends greatly on is the strain you choose. One good size Sativa plant could fill that space with no problem. Or, 2-12 Indica Plants depending on your growing technique.
Here is another simple formula to use for lights.
1). 250w HID = 2ft x 2ft area.
2). 400w HID = 3ft x 3ft area.
3). 600w HID = 3.5 x 3.5
4). 1000w hid = 4ft x 4ft area.
The Final Word
There is nothing wrong with using a 1000 watt light on a few plants or even just one. They will grow much bigger & better. However, you should
research the strains you are wanting to grow as some do not respond to such powerful lights and would actually grow better under just a 400w
Finally, electrical costs. Here is a basic formula to go by, sorry all I have tihs for is a 1000w light so you will have to break it down yourselfs.
1000watt X 24hours of operation = 1KW x 0.10= $2.40 a day/$16.00 wk
or $67.20 per mo. So, a four month 1000watt grow could run you about
$268.00 give or take. Now, done right a grower could average about
20 ounces from a single 1000w bulb.
I hope this helps answer why the serious growers use serious lights.
Flouros serve a good purpose like cloning or starting seeds. But, if you really want to see your plants thrive--get at least a 400w HPS bulb, ballast & reflector and build your box around that for example. The two biggest things you should consider spending money on are good seeds from PLANET SKUNK and good lights.
Sources: Light chart info by a grower named "Nietzche" & Greg Green.
The Cannabis Grow Bible pgs 50-64.
Good luck everybody, hope this helps. I'm sure this does not qualify for free seeds but it was fun to do all the same.